Corset



(No Model.)

C.L.0LMSTEAD.

CORSET.

Patented June 24, 1890.

No.43m876.

.O 0 G O G we Nunn s varias co., vnqvumu., wAsnmsToN, o. c.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CIIAUNCEY L. OLMSTEAD, OF VEST ISROOKFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

CORSET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,876, dated June 24, 1890.

.Application filed .April 4, 1890. Serial No. 346,554. (No model.)

To CLZZ whom it muy concern,.-

Be it known that I, CHAUNCEY L. OLM- STEAD, of Test Brookfield, in the county of lVorcestcr and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new Improvement iii Corsets 5 and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specication, and represent, in-

Figure l, a side view of the corset, showing the bnsk and lacing-strip, part of one side broken away; Fig. 2, a reverse side with the overlying stay-pockets removed,- and showing the connection of the two parts on the zone in vertical strip F; Fig. 3, a vertical section on line a' .fr o t' Fig. 2; Fig. 4, the. front portion o'f the zone-piece as slit to receive the gore; Fig. 5, the gore detached.

This invention relates to .an improvement in the construction of that class `of corsets in which the parts are made from short sections or pieces in contradistinction to pieces which extend from top to bottom ot' the corset, one great advantage of this construction being that it economizes material by permitting the making of the sections above and below the zone without waste of material, as also the zone or band corset defines more strongly the lines of the waist between the bottom of bosom-gores and top of hip-section, the invention being adapted to making the corsets of single thickness through the upper and lower portions. In the manufacture of such corsets a zone-like piece is introduced, extending transversely from front to rear, it being broad at the front and rear ends, contracting by curves toward the center. These Zones are usually cut to the required shape, the broad ends secured in the husk-strip at the front and the lacing-strip at the rear. The broad ends being solid, or substantially so,` and fiat as the fabric itself, do not readily yield to the short vertical curve at the waist-line, the zones being necessarily arranged at that point. The result of this tlat broad portion of the zone is to produce wrinkles in the corset at the end portion of the zone.

The object of this invention is to employ a zone, produce the body of the corset in substantiallya single thickness, and yet prevent the wrinkling of the Zone at the broad ends; and it consists in the construction as hereinafter described, and particularly reci i ed in the claims.

In the illustration, A represents the busk strip at the front, and l the lacing-strip at the rear.

C represents the zone. This zone is of two thicknesses, a Z), Fig. Its forward end is set into the brisk-strip and the rear end into the lacing-strip- It is cut with its upper and lower edges curved, contracting from the ends toward the center, as shown, and the position of the zone is substantially on the waist-line. Instead of cutting the zone solid or flat, a slit D is cut into the Zone from eachend, as seen in Fig. 4, forming branches (l d. In making this slit a triangular piece is cut out. the broader end of the triangle at the broad end of the Zone. Then before introducing the zone to the stay or lacing-stri p a core E, Fig. 5, is

introduced between the two edges of the slit D, this gore in length corresponding to the length of `the slit, but wider at its base than the opening of the slit at the end of the zone, so that when the gore is introduced and secured by its two edges` to the branches d (l it will expand the end portion of the Zone corresponding to the greatest width ot the gore, and the edges of this gore are curved, so as to produce a vertical curve in the end portion ot' the zone, which will correspond substantially to the vertical curve of that portion of the complete corset. The gore is of a single thickness, and is introduced between the double branches CL b, as seen in Fig. 3, and secured by aline of stitches run near the edge of the opening.

The upper and lower portions of the corset are cut into the required shape, but of a length so that the upper portions e extend from the upper edge of the corset downward and between the two thicknesses of the zone d h, as seen in Fig. 3, the lower edge of these pieces being stitched into the zone between the said two thicknesses, as seen in Fig. 3. The lower portion f of the corset is made in pieces or sections which extend from the lower edge of the corset up and between the two thickncses o. l), and they are secured in the same manner as Jthe upper sections, and as seen in Fig. 3. The lines of stitches thus secu rin g the ICO yparts into the zone are represented in broken lines, Figs. l and 2.

The zone should be made in two lengthsone length extending from the front to a vertical double strip F on the* hip-line, the other portion extending from the rear into the rear edge of the said doubled strip, as seen in Fig. 2, the adjacent ends of the two sections beingrsecured between the two thicknesses of the vertical strip F, thus making the zones substantially a continuous piece. A gore G is preferably introduced at the rear end of the zone in like manner as. that described for the front; but the gore G may be omitted, and the zone may be reduced in width from the center toward the rear, as represented in broken lines, Fig. 2, instead of expanded to give the curves upon the upper and lower edge. l, however, prefer to expand the rear portion of the Zone by the introduction of the gore G, as described.

The sections or portions of the corset above the zone, as well as the zone-gores, are of a single thickness of material, thus making a very light corset, the double zone or band taking all the vertical strain from the abovenamed sections in the wear of corset. The pockets for the bones or stays are made by applying overlying strips, as g, vertically on the surface of the corset. The zone makes a strong support for the corset at the waistline, as usual in corsets provided with such a zone. Y

This construction of corsets is specially adapted toopen corsets-that is, in which the short sections are made of an open-woven lace-like material.

I do not claim, broadly, the application of a zone-shaped strip to a corset extending` transversely from front to rear, as such I am aware is not new.

l am also aware that the zone-shaped strip has been divided at its front end; but in such case the zone-strip has simply been an overlay directly upon the body of the corset and not forming a connection between the short sections above and below. I therefore do not claim, broadly, a zone-shaped strip extending transversely from iront to rear of the corset.

I clairn- 1. A corset having a brisk-strip at the front and lacing-strip at the rear, a zone-shaped piece on the waist-line, composed of two thicknesses and extending from the brisk-strip to the lacing-strip, the two thicknesses of said zone-shaped piece slit from the forward end inward, and a gore E, introduced into said slit and secured between the edges of the two thicknesses, the said gore being broader than the, said 'slit and so as to expand the end portion of the said Zone and give to it a vertical curvature, combined with short sections of single thickness extending from the top of the corset downward and between the upper edge of the said two thicknesses of the said zone-shaped piece and there secured, and short sections of single thickness extending from the lower edge of the corset in like manner into the lower edge ol' the zone-piece, substantially as described.

2. A corset having a busk-strip A at the front and a lacing-strip B at the rear, a zoneshaped piece C, extending transversely from front to rear on the waist-line, the said zoneshaped piece composed of two thicknesses, the two thicknesses slit from front and rear ends inward, combined with a gore E, introduced into the slit at the front end of said Zone-piece, and a similar gore G, introduced into the slit "in the rear end of said zonepieces, the said gore-pieces being broader than the said slits and secured -in the slits between the two thicknesses of the zone-piece, with short sections of single thickness extending from the upper edge of the corset downward and between t-he two thicknesses of the said Zone-piece, and short sections of single thickness extending from the lower edge of the corset upward and between the lower edges ot' said parts of the zonepiece, the whole being stitched together, substantially as d'escribed'.

3. A corset having a husk-piece A at the front and lacing-strip B at the rear, a vert-ical strip F on the hip-line extending from top to bottom, a zone-shaped piece C, made in two parts, the front part extending from the buskstrip into the front edge of the said strip F, and the rear portion of said zone-piece extending froln the lacing-strip forward into said vertical strip, the adjacent ends of the' said parts of the zone-piece secured to said vertical strip, the said zone-piece made of two thicknesses and constructed with a slit from the end inward, and a gore in width greater than the width of said slit and set therein between the two thicknesses of the zone-piece, combined with short sections extending from the upper edge downward into the upper edge of said zone-piece between the two thicknesses, and short sections extending from the lower edge of the corset upward into the IOO IIO

lower edge of the zone-piece between the two thicknesses and all secured together, substantially as described.

CHAUNCEY L. OLMSTEAD.

Vitnesses:

WALTER S. ROBINSON, S. BELLE STEARNS. 

